The iconic guitar-shaped sign perched atop a pole lined with black-and-white piano keys served as a beacon for musicians looking to pick out a new instrument or learn to play one.
For 30 years, George's Music was a creative mecca in Jacksonville Beach. Founder George Hines sold the 10,000-square-foot property at 912 Third St. S. in February for $3.24 million, closing a significant chapter in the brand's history.
But that's not the end of the story for Hines or the environment he built around music, education and lasting relationships with everyone from novice players to seasoned artists.
George's Music recently celebrated a soft opening of its new interactive location at 1238 Beach Blvd., with state-of-the-art lesson rooms, advanced retail technology, a dedicated repair facility and the same personal connection to music and the artists who make it.
The official grand opening is planned for early November, once all the inventory is in place. Murals will be installed on the building's exterior featuring people playing music at the beach that reflect Hines' commitment to the community.
“George is very customer-centric, so he really wanted an environment that could take care of our lesson students, but he also wanted to be in a shopping center so we could get the traffic of the community,” said team manager Neal Pomerantz.
“It was really important to him that we stay at the beach and create something that was more of a build-out to be able to give a really amazing customer experience.”
The new 4,000-square-foot storefront in Beach Plaza allows customers to curate their own experience, whether picking up a new instrument or learning to play in one of the store's eight customized lesson rooms.
Interactive touchscreens give customers access to the inventory at their fingertips. The showroom walls are banked with electric guitars, while an intimate, cedar-lined room features an assortment of acoustic instruments.
“It's open, accessible, with lots of guitar focus,” said team manager Bill Trevena. “This is a real premium acoustic guitar room focused on really high-end instruments. It's not as much about having the most merchandise as it is having the right merchandise.”
Trevena has been with the Jacksonville Beach store since its inception 30 years ago. He has witnessed the evolution of the music industry from an analog community to the digital mainstream.
George's Music has embraced advances in technology and changing industry trends while maintaining the hands-on experience that has long defined the business. Customers can pick up and play instruments on the bright, open showroom floor, while those looking for a more digital experience have access to technology that is reshaping how music is created and consumed.
“The way that things are happening these days with the future of music and retail, I think it's enhanced it,” Trevena said. “We're very experience-oriented, obviously personalized service. We wanted a place where people can touch and feel stuff and still shop. We want to meet the customers wherever they want to be.”
Trevena splits his time between the company's home base in Philadelphia, where the brand was founded, and Jacksonville Beach. Having a solid team in place helped make the transition to the new location seamless.
“I've been with the company for 31 years, so I managed that location from 1998 to 2001,” he said. “I go back and forth, so I love it down here. I love the fact that it's a beach but it's a residential community. The people down here are so friendly and you can already feel the vibe. It's not even that busy now, but when we have the pianos out and all the guitars, you just hear music. There's an energy.”
Musical ability isn't a job requirement, although members of the sales team noodled on guitars as they stocked the floor. Others guided prospective customers through the new space while instructors were already holding lessons in rooms at the rear of an event space that also will host in-store performances.
“Playing helps, but we're more interested in people that can build relationships and are positive in our culture,” Trevena said. “It helps in being confident and able to relate and all that, but I am more interested in the people who are interested in serving others.”
Hines also plans to incorporate memorabilia and collectible items for music appreciators. Signed guitars sprinkled throughout the store serve as a visual timeline of George's Music's involvement with the Springing the Blues Festival, which recently ended its historic 34-year run at the SeaWalk Pavilion.
“Every year, we'd donate a few guitars and we'd raffle some off, but George would always keep one,” Trevena said. “It's great that we're able to keep the legacy alive.”
George's Music became the festival's title sponsor just two years after opening its original Jacksonville Beach location. Framed posters featuring the art of David Lee line the walls, serving as a monument to the partnership between Hines and Springing the Blues founder Sam Veal.
“We really love to honor the festivals and what we did with them,” Trevena said. “It was very important for George to stay at the beach and be involved in the community.”
George's Music also established its Rock Star program, pairing adults interested in learning an instrument with school-age musicians to collaborate and build a band from the ground up. Each group practices for 10 weeks in the store before performing live at local venues such as Margaritaville.
“They go out and play live. Friends and family pack the place. It's great because it's taking you out of the individual lesson rooms,” Trevena said. “For us, our vision as a company is about changing lives through music. People come in and they have a great experience, they might play music forever. It's a big deal.”
That spark that happens when an artist is able to tap into that part of themselves is at the nucleus of George's Music.
Hines opened his first store in 1977 after graduating from Ursinus College, where he studied history and education. He originally planned to pursue teaching, but his passion for guitar and music led him to create his own hybrid of music retail.
He leased a small storefront near the college in Spring City, Pennsylvania, where he repaired instruments and taught guitar.
That neighborhood music shop grew into a multistore operation serving Pennsylvania and Florida. Hines focused on more than selling gear. He developed a business model built around music education, cultivating relationships with artists and creating a community around music.
George's Music Superstore opened at 912 Third St. S. in Jacksonville Beach in 1996. Two years later, the store became the title sponsor of Springing the Blues, a partnership that continued for 18 years, from 1998 through 2015.
The partnership went beyond sponsorship. The store became an extension of the festival, with the pair teaming up every year to unveil the annual lineup and festival poster during in-store press conferences with live blues and plenty of barbecue.
Hines and his wife, Lisa, also worked closely with Veal to bring the Blues in the Schools program to area students. Founded by festival veteran Fruteland Jackson, the interactive program introduced local elementary and high school students to the fundamentals of blues history and instruments before giving them the opportunity to perform alongside blues musicians at Springing the Blues.
“On my last visit in 2013, I worked with George's Music promoting ukulele workshops at the festival for young people. I have since learned to play the ukulele because of that experience,” Jackson said. “There is something special in the human need for music. It has power. It puts us in a frame of mind and environment so we can do better at what we want to do.”
That philosophy remains embedded in the new space where someone can walk through the door, pick up a guitar and discover what happens next.
“You pick it up, put it down,” Trevena said. “Music always stays with you.”
